Pole barn & cabin

[Ridgewalker]

I am looking into a 30' x 50' pole barn and have been thinking about partitioning off a 12' x 30 section on one end to turn into a cabin of sorts with it's own entrance. I would pour a 12 x 30 slab for the cabin while leaving the rest in limestone until I get the cash to have it poured. Has anyone else done this?

I am trying to determine how high a ceiling I should shoot for and wanted to ask what else I should consider. It will have a 10 x 16 sliding door on the North end along with a man door close by. The door for the cabin will be on the far end of the West side. I will have a door connecting the "barn" to the "cabin". I plan to put in a bathroom, 1 bdrm and a kitchenette/living room combo.

Does this sound like a feasible plan? I have power and water on site but nothing else. This would give me a place to store my toys and to sleep when working on my land over weekends, it's 1 1/2 hours from home.

 

[Tororider]

Sounds cool to me, just check with your local ordinances. Sometimes they are a bit particular with combining storage spaces with living spaces.

I would go no lower than 10' cielings, you can never go back and jack up the cieling so whatever you think you "might" need for height, do it now.

Good Luck

 

[Runner]

There are several people near me that have done just what you are thinking about. One, in fact, actually has wood siding on it that makes it look like a log cabin.

I think it's a great idea, and would be tempted to use a metal frame building just because I have a phobia about termites and rot. Seems like it would be extremely low maintenance and very inexpensive.

My metal building has a 10 foot eave height and about 14 foot at the peak, which is fine for anything I need to put in it.

The nice thing about having the high roof/ceiling is that you can put a structural ceiling (floor) above some or all of the living quarters and use it for storage.

 

[MarkV]

Local code could be your problem. Many areas frown on “temporary” living spaces because they do not want it to become a primary living space. The line is usually drawn when you add a bathroom. When we were building our cabin we bought an old $700 camper to stay in a couple of years of weekends and sold it for $500. It was much cheaper than finishing out part of a barn into living space.

MarkV

 

[EddieWalker]

I added a living space onto a barn that I used to own when I got divorced. It was around 400sq ft that was just about perfect for one person. I sold it to a couple who lived in it for two years before building a 1,200 sq ft 2 bedroom house. They said they loved it and actaully miss living in it now that their new home is done.

It's fairly common to do this in my area since people are taxed on the building being a shop or barn. The tax apraiser doesn't check inside the building to see if anybody lives in it, so there is a huge tax savings on those types of homes. I also live in an area that has no building code outside of city limits.

Here's the thread I had on the one I built.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/projects/33401-my-container-barn.html

Eddie

 

[firemanpat2910]

One word of warning!!!!!!!! children that are supposed to be grown up, are drawn to the concept of living rent free in the "Apartment" in the barn. But they always seem to get their food out of the fridge at the "Main House". I have two buddies that have barn guests.

 

[Grand_Pooba]

If you build it with a gambrel (barn) style roof you would have a larger living space and a larger storage space on the same size foot print. Truss companys make "floor in truss" that work great. My brother in law has one like that 30 x 60. Upstairs you end up with about 18' wide of full height ceilings.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I am in a rural county with no regs, whatever I can dream up is OK by them.
I am putting the cabin door on the side furthest away from the road to help hide it from view and I plan to call it a barn only. I will just be there on the weekends unless the boss gives me the boot.

 

[scgargoyle]

I think it's a great idea! My mother has a similar set-up. When we build our barn, I'm going to partition some of it off for a 'summer living room'. I'll have heat and A/C, but only use it when needed. It'll just be a big room for family get-togethers, etc. Where I'm building in SC, you can add a bathroom to a barn without any hassles. It could also serve as a guest cottage once in a while. Our main house will be very small for efficiency, so it will be good to have a large room available.